People hardly ever get OJ stabbed on my block. In fact, it's never happened to me and I've been there for years.
Seriously, where I live is an extremely popular and hip neighborhood. It's also beautiful and close to downtown and 3 major freeways. It's particularly popular with USC students but less so for UCLA people. SC is just a hop/skip/jump from here. Unfortunately, the rents have gone up commensurately over the last 10-15 years as the place caught on. It's the most densely populated neighborhood in L.A. and the 3rd most densely populated in the U.S., after DT and midtown Manhattan. At least according to Wiki:
Koreatown, Los Angeles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Long commutes blow the quality of living completely in Los Angeles. Whoever mentioned Pasadena has no clue about this city. If you could find something in West Hollywood, that would be the ultimate. The commute through Beverly Hills to UCLA is one of the milder, (and prettier), that is possible. Relatively close-in parts of the valley like Sherman Oaks would not be too terrible for UCLA, Westwood or Brentwood would be best but they're pricey. You get what you pay for in terms of lifestyle, though. The areas are nice and practically in UCLA's backyard.
I get your joke about West Hollywood but that's an outsider's view only. It is a desirable area for anyone and gays make good neighbors for the most part. It's chock-full of young chicks and rockers, etc. The only drawback, IMO, is the proximity to clubs on the Sunset Strip. If you are too close to Sunset, it can be a PIA on weekends.
Palms and WLA blow dick but they're affordable, I guess. The geography is nothing but concrete and freeways + crap box post-war apartment bulidings, sort of the stereotypical schit image of L.A.